


You,re All Grown Up Jude

by XoXLexLoveXoX



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, High School AU, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 11:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2771678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XoXLexLoveXoX/pseuds/XoXLexLoveXoX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School AU prompt in which Rick and Daryl are legally married in a non-apocalyptic world. Follows the story of a surrogated baby named Judith as she battles her Freshman year in an unconventional family. Does not follow TWD series. AU. Slash. Rick/Daryl</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Judith Anne Dixon-Grimes

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing.
> 
> This story has nothing to do with the original Walking Dead series, some names, couples and characteristics are the same. And ignore the fact that same-sex marriage isn't legal in the state of Georgia.

Judith woke with a start, pulled from a deep sleep she longed to continue as the alarm clock rang ambiguously on the nightstand next to her twin-sized bed.  
Lazily creaking one eye open, she glared through a messy mat of her own chestnut brown hair and slammed a hand down on the snooze button.  
In a delirious, half-awake state, Judith rolled over, slinging a sheet pressed arm over the edge of her floral print comforter.

The clattering of pans could be heard from down stairs where her daddy was undoubtedly preparing a meager breakfast, in the hopes of preparing Judith for her first day.  
Crap. Today was her first day of high school.  
Incentive enough, Judith opened her deep hazelnut eyes and sharply inhaled in an attempt to awaken herself through power of will, butterflies forming in the pit of her stomach.  
Today, she started high school and the mixture of excitement and fear had yet to dull, even over the sweltering days of summer.   
Blinking away the dryness of her eyes, Judith threw off her blankets and halfheartedly swung her bruised legs over the side of her bed.

Summer vacation had been filled full of excitement and hard work for the 14 year old youth. Trips to the beach style lake on the outskirts of town, playing games of tag and basketball in the streets of Atlanta, Georgia with her friends, helping her dad in the garage working on scrapped motorcycles. 

Well not exactly helping. More like switching out tools and parts as she bothered her dad with questions and ideas that were ludicrous. 

Leaning forward the young brunette yawned as she attempted to rub the remainder of sleep from her eyes, strands of mahogany falling in her face. A second time her alarm clock rung its demands, signalling Judith that 5 minutes had passed since she last pressed snooze.

Dragging her feet, Judith scooped up the outfit she had excitedly picked out last night, from atop her cluttered desk in the corner.   
As she turned, eyes still drooping from sleep, her foot caught the leg of her desk chair, causing her to trip slightly and an incoherent curse to fall from her lips.  
Her room wouldn't feel so small if it wasn't in a constant disarray, her daddy would say. Aside her desk, there stood a 4 layer bookshelf, jam packed with Judith's favorite books and collections. On the other end of the room, a moderately used dresser, acting as another place to stack various papers and knick-knacks, bottom drawer slightly ajar. Other than the scattering of papers, art supplies and projects, her room was rather void. Judith however, fancied herself an artist, decorating her walls with her work of paintings, sketches and posters of her favorite bands and artists.  
Judith loved art. In every sense and form, be it physical, performing, or musical.   
She was an active art student in middle school and loved her drama classes over every other.  
Her dad would tease her, saying it was because she was such a drama queen that she felt like the ruler of her class.

Judith clammered across the hall, greeted by the sumptuous smell of bacon cooking downstairs, to the bathroom where she would shower and prepare herself for the day. The smell was enough to encourage her to hurry herself through her morning routine, as her stomach let out a small growl of need. Glancing down the light tan carpet-clad hall she took note that her parents bedroom door was still shut. This meant her dad was still asleep and that she should be courteous enough to keep it down until the whole household was up and moving for the day.

Judith lived a rather unconventional home life. She was born to two fathers through the use of a gestational surrogate or a (GS/ED) to be exact.

Her daddy was Rick Grimes, deputy sheriff of the local police department.   
Her dad was Daryl Dixon, stay at home motorcycle mechanic.  
The two were not however excluded to those names. As a toddler and child, Judith, just learning how to talk, would use all sorts of variations in titles to her two fathers: daddy, da, papa. Later on as she grew older and lazier she started calling each one things like: old-man and dad or just simply 'you' when neither knew exactly who she was talking to.

Her parents had started dating late in high school, all throughout college and through their early 20s until they got married. Although legally wed, neither took the others last name. It took 2 years of marriage before they decided to have a baby and officially start a family. However being born to two married men with two different last names had brought up some complications over the years. Wanting to make sure both family names were associated with baby Judith, her fathers had signed the birth certificate: Judith Anne Dixon-Grimes. Only 14 years old and she couldn't tell how many times they had to wait extra hours on end at a doctors office or airport because a receptionist had only put one of her last names on a formal document.

She had never really thought anything of it, not until she was old enough to know how human reproduction worked.   
That had been an awkward and extraordinary talk about 'the birds-and-the-bees' she had had with both her parents at the tender age of 11. She had known before 'the talk' that her family was different. She was young, not stupid. She had quickly realized in preschool that she was the only kid in her class that didn't have a mother, but her fathers loved her and ran a normal household, so she never really questioned it.

Wasting no time, Judith clammered into the bathroom, dark maple wood floor creaking slightly beneath her bare feet. Switching on the light, she adjusted the knobs on the stand up shower to her liking and let out another throaty yawn.

Today was going to be interesting.

Ridding herself of her black/white plad PJ bottoms, white tank top and undergarments, Judith immersed herself in a warm spray that loosened her muscles and readied her body for the day to come.

20 minutes of vaguely washing her shoulder-blade length hair and pale milky skin, Judith exited the shower with a shake of her damp locks.  
Quickly, she dried herself with a towel and dressed in her chosen outfit. Dark blue, worn out jeans, frays and holes decorating her legs and a black blouse that hung low on one side, revealing a bonney shoulder.  
Judith plugged in her hair dryer that had been hidden under the bathroom sink and halfheartedly dried her hair. She stopped every so often to run her brush through the softening locks and parted her hair the way she preferred.  
Satisfied with the blurry image of herself, seen through the steamy sink mirror, Judith placed the hair dryer back where it belonged and tiptoed back to her room.  
Not bothering to shut her door, Judith patted over to her dresser where she picked up a few assorted bracelets and distributed them onto her wrists.  
Two decorating each, on her right she wore a simple and elegant black and silver watch, along with a silver chain crafted to look like several skeletal bones connected at the ends.  
On her left, she wore a red rubber wrist band that said 'fight the real disease' in white, blocky lettering. Along with that she had a noisy charm bracelet given to her by her dad last year at Christmas.  
Respectively placed, Judith opened the top drawer of her dresser and rustled through for a pair of black ankle socks. Once acquired she sat on the edge of her still unmade bed, putting her socks on, followed by her pair of black and white All-star Converts.  
Her skull-patterned school bag had already been packed the night before at her dad's request. Judith slung the Jansport backpack over one shoulder and headed downstairs for breakfast.  
Taking the steps two at a time, Judith arrived in the dining room just in time to see her dad take his usual seat at the open end of the table.

The first floor of her family's house was spacious, the stairs connected with the landing of the living room next to a large brown felt coach that sits three and divided the living room from the dining room. Farther from the stairs next to the coach there was a plushy leather love seat angled diagonally away from the far wall to face the 42" flat-screen mounted on the wall. An entertainment system lay just below the TV, housing a DVD player and littered with various DVD cases. The living room, hallways and 3 bedrooms in the house where all covered in the same light tan carpet as up stairs, while the 2 bathrooms, dining room and kitchen where wood flooring.   
The dining room consist of a conservative table that seats up to 6, pushed into the corner next to a large bay window that looked out on the back yard. The entirety of the house always had a warm, lived-in feeling and Judith couldn't imagine staying anywhere else.   
Until the end of last school year her family lived in a small apartment on the opposite end of Atlanta. While her earliest memories where there, Judith did not find it hard to forget once settling into their new 2 story house.

Judith circled around the corner into the kitchen where the scents of fried bacon dictated her desire for food.   
Rick, dressed in one of his freshly washed police uniforms, glanced up from the edge of his favorite white coffee mug.  
"Mornin', dear." He offered to the wisps of hair that just disappeared into the kitchen, a soft smile befalling his lips.  
Judith grumbled something of a greeting as she filled her plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a slice of toast.  
Re-entering the dining room, Judith dumped her bag into an empty chair and took her seat next to her present fathers left.  
Rick hunkered over his own breakfast, glanced at his daughter and smiled again. He couldn't believe it was his little girls first day of High school.  
"So, ready for your big day?" He asked, not missing the slight shrug his daughter responded to out of habit.  
If he had to pick one trait about his child that reminded him of Daryl, it would be that shrug.  
"As ready as I'll ever be." Judith forced through a mouth full of bacon.  
She knew that her daddy hated it when she shrugged off his questions, no matter how small the inquiry was. He had made a big fuss about it a few months ago when he had asked if she finished her homework, lecturing her about proper communication.  
Of course it had only escalated because her parents had just argued. It wasn't a huge fight, but enough to put both of her parents on edge.

Both ate in silence for about five minutes before the feather-light sound of footsteps could be heard from the stairs.  
Both Rick and Judith glanced up from their half finished meals to see a shirtless Daryl stretching his stiff muscles as he entered the dining area. Bronze hair in a disray, Daryl let out a silent yawn and approached the table.

"Mornin', sunshine."   
"Mornin', dad."

Daryl, eyes still foggy with sleep, leaned down to place a quick peck on his husband's cheek before placing a second on the top of his daughter's head.  
"Mornin'." he grumbled out, making his way to the kitchen. He scrounged up what was left of the breakfast his partner had undoubtedly made and poured himself some coffee.  
Judith, remembering that she had forgotten to get herself a drink, leaned back in her chair and set her eyes on the open space of the kitchen.  
"Hey dad, get me something to drink." She through back, raising her voice slightly to be sure he heard her.  
The unbodied voice of Daryl replied, "Excuse me?"   
Rick chuckled slightly, knowing Daryl was trying to covertly remind their daughter to use her manners.  
Judith noticed this too and let out an over exaggerated, playful groan, "Please?"  
"Better." Daryl's voice could be heard along with the sound of the fridge door opening and closing snuggly.  
Daryl emerged moments later, skillfully balancing his plate in one hand, a coffee mug in the other and a glass of milk wedged in between his forearm and chest.  
First placing his own meal down, the home mechanic reached across the table to place the cup of milk in front of Jude and finally took his seat at the table, tucked in front of the bay window, to Rick's right.  
The young brunette lent an elbow on the table to cradle her head on her fist as she continued eating.

'Boy, is this something to get used to again.' She wearily thought as she attempted to finish off her food, eyes still drooping.  
Over the months of summer, Judith had fallen into a regular routine of staying up late and sleeping through the morning. Her dad had warned her if she didn't slowly get herself used to waking up early again she would be as good as a walking corpse by the time school started.  
She, however, had been confident in her youthful body, that the amount of sleep she had wouldn't make a huge difference.   
How wrong she had been, but there was no way in hell she was going to admit that to either of her parents.  
The silence was broken again a few moments later when Daryl looked up at his daughter with a blank stare.  
"Now I know wha's diff'rent."  
Rick trained his confused eyes on him, wondering what his lover was talking about.  
Still with blank features, however obvious that he was teasing now, Daryl continued, pointing his fork across the table at Judith, "You're out'a bed 'fore noon. You've showered too. What's the occasion? Got'a date or somethin'?"  
Rick, plate cleared, leaned back in his chair, amused at his husband's antics.  
Jude let a smirk befall her lips, playing along with her dad's sarcastic jab.  
"Oh yah, its gonna be an all day thing, don't be surprised if not back before tomorrow. Thinkin' about just skipping the formalities and spending the night with em'."  
Rick let out a laugh as Daryl tried and failed to hide the smile creeping onto his features.  
Shaking his head he decided to amend the conversation, "But really, ya' got everythin' ya' need? Books? Pencils? Fancy-ass calculator with way too damn many buttons?"  
It was Judith's turn to try and hide her smile.  
When Judith had taken her final assessment at the middle school on the other end of town last year, her results came back fairly well.  
Actually, more than fairly well, in fact Judith was at an advanced level for her age in Math, Science and English.   
When she signed up for her freshman classes, her new guidance counselor approved for her to take 10th grade classes. This meant instead of doing Algebra and Applied Science, she would be doing Geometry, Trigonometry and Biology.  
These higher classes however required her to have more advanced learning materials. This included her brand new Texas Instrument: Scientific/Graphing calculator which she would geekily admit to being her new prized possession.  
With a full keypad, internal storage, color screen and multipurpose capability, who could blame her? This thing was nice.  
Which is exactly why her dad loved to give her a hard time about it ever since he took her to get it a few weeks ago.  
Stopping in at an Office Max while out school shopping, it had cost them $185 with her student discount.  
Sure it was a requirement of her new classes but the thing would be necessary for any classes she took in the 3 years that followed, probably even in college too, so in the long run it was worth the money.  
Neither of her parents had been seriously mad about it however. Just listen to them brag about how smart AND artistic she was to other parents and that point was obvious. While they loved bragging about her to others, they clearly loved teasing her even more.  
"Yes, sir."   
At this Rick stood and took his clear plate and now empty mug to the kitchen, giving them a quick rinse and leaving them in the otherwise empty sink. Whipping his mouth one last conscious time, Rick glancing at the watch wrapped around his wrist and straightened out his uniform. He didn't miss the way Daryl's eyes swept over his body hungerly from across the table or the way he superficially cleared his throat and diverted his eyes back to his plate in an attempt to distract himself.  
Somehow in the early A.M. the two had woken, intertwined and aroused, resulting in slow, agonizing morning sex.   
The feeling still present apparently in Daryl's libito, he couldn't help but admire his husband's attractiveness in that uniform.  
19 years of being together, 16 years of marriage and 14 years of Rick being an actual cop and still he would occasionally catch himself drooling at the sight of Rick in that uniform.

Rick, wanting nothing more than to make sure his daughter got to school and then come home to spend the day alone with Daryl and an empty house. However, duty calls and it was only Monday.   
Judith, noticing the eyes that her fathers were making at each other, scrunched up her face in disgust and decided that now was a good time to leave. She was not oblivious to her parent's love-making and while she was happy that they were 'doing it' rather than fighting, it was still gross. She would happily play the role of the clueless child in this regard, not wishing to engage either in 'that' conversation.  
Judith slipped past her daddy, carrying her empty plate and half-full cup into the kitchen.   
She downed the rest of her chilly 2% milk and rinsed her dishes. Her daddy's clean trimmed head popped past the door frame just in time for her to set her cup in the sink.  
"Sure you don't need a ride, hun?" He offered casually.  
Judith nearly scoffed at this, "And suffer the embarrassment of being seen getting dropped off in the squad car? No thanks daddy. I'm sure people will find plenty of other reasons to beat me up later."  
She had meant for the comment to be light but the worry must have shun through her eyes.  
Rick's lips dropped into something of a frown, "Now hun', I know you're nervous about going to a new school and all but you can't think like that. I'm sure you'll find plenty of good people there and besides, you'll always have Sophia."  
Throughout Judith's school years she had been a victim of bullying, criticism and down right cruelty. While Atlanta was a larger city, word still got around that she was a middle-class, born to two gay men, secluded brainiac. She had really only had one friend who stuck by her all throughout the years and that was Sophia. A mousy little blond girl who had lived her fair share of bullying, at school and at home.

They had met in 1st grade as playground friends but became actual friends in 2nd grade, when both of their families lived on the north side of Atlanta. Out at lunch time one day she witnessed a snot-nosed little boy who she didn't recognize pulling at Sophia's golden pigtails and making fun of her because she had been crying. Judith, already not a fan of bullies of any kind, pushed the kid and told him to 'shove off'. They had been friends ever since. It wasn't until they were in 5th grade that Sophia confessed to her the reason she had been crying that day. Her parents had been arguing that morning which resulted in Sophia's father beating her mother black and blue. In 6th grade Sophia called her, voice laced with tears, telling her that her father had put her mother in the hospital. The next day they rejoined at school for Sophia to tell her that her father had been arrested, they were getting divorced and at the end of the school year she would be moving to the South side of town. While the distance was only a minor inconvenience, that meant that Sophia would have to change schools in her new district zone. They talked on the phone almost every night and made plans to hang out every weekend, but the absence of one another in school weighed heavy on them both.  
It was a few months before finishing 8th grade that Judith's parents brought up the idea of upgrading from their small apartment to an actual house. Her fathers had tentatively asked if she was comfortable with switching schools and Judith jumped at the offer. A few weeks of house hunting in their spare time and they had happened upon this wonderful 3 bedroom 2 bath on the South side, moving it up to their top choice. A month later they got the good news that their application had been approved and they could move in as soon as Judith finished the school year. The young brunette had excitedly races up stairs to call Sophia and tell her the wonderful new arrangement.  
Over summer Jude and Sophia spent the glorious days and nights rekindling their friendship and catching up their day to day lives.

Jude had hung her head slightly in thought as she took in her father's words, " I know, daddy. I just-" she shook her head trying to convey to him what this day meant to her, "I just figure this is my only chance to start off with a clean slate." She hadn't wanted either of her parents to worry. She knew that it weighed heavy on their shoulders, the fact that she had been verbally and physically attacked her whole life just because her parents were gay. She wished that she could explain how while she wasn't ashamed of her parents, it would be nice to not face constant ridicule at school, at least for a little while. She wanted to say a million things to ensure her comfort with the situation but words seemed to fail her at this morning.  
"I'll be okay, daddy. Really." She smiled as reassuringly as possible.  
Rick watched her features carefully, searching his daughters face for any lies. When none were found he nodded rigidly, "okay." He nodded again, more to himself and put on his best fake smile, "okay, have a good day, Jude. Love you."  
"You too, daddy."

Judith held back as she listened to the muffled conversation of her fathers in the dining room. Soon after the sound of fleeting footsteps, followed by the closing of the front door could be heard, signalling her daddy''s departure.  
Jude weighed her options and decided that leaving now would still put her early at school even after swinging by Sophia's place. She let out a huff, mustering up what little courage she could find and exited the kitchen. Her dad was still seated at the table, sipping at his coffee and looking through a large stack of papers of what could only be compiled information on his latest project.  
"Isn't it a little early to be working, old man?" Jude cheekily bit out as she hauled her backpack over her shoulder.   
Daryl glanced up from what looked like an order form for parts, "isn't it a little early to be so sassy?"  
She smirked at this and shrugged, "early bird catches the worm and all that."  
The man smacked his lips at this as his daughter made her way to the door, "guess so. Love ya', be good."  
"Love you too." Judith through over her shoulder as she left the house for her first day.


	2. Not So Freshman Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing

Judith had walked to school at a leisurely pace that morning, going off only an extra block out of her way to Sophia's house. She wished she had brought a jacket as she approached her first stop, the cool morning air biting at her exposed skin. Her mother Carol had greeted her at the door looking awake and ready for the day. In a classic fashion, Carol had welcomed her in for a glass of juice as she waited for Sophia. However, as soon as she was about to take her up on her offer, Sophia pushed past her mother, said her goodbye and they were on their way to school.  
The two casually talked as they wound their way through the streets of Atlanta, arriving at the High School a good 25 minutes early.  
The front of the school was already littered with students, charting in tight-nipped groups, greeting their friends with individual tales of their summer vacations. Judith and Sophia entered through the front doors of the 2 story brick building and took in the sights.  
The common area was filled with round tables placed strategically for lunch and passing students. Dividing the lunch room from the main hall there was a case of school trophies and on the other side double doors that led to the gym. The towering doors were closed however and placed in front of them 4 long, fold up tables.  
Each table had a sign hung on the front, indicating each school year with what Judith guessed were teachers handing out class schedules.   
Sophia took in a deep breath and smiled to her best friend, "Well, here we go."  
The two fell into line in front of the closest table that was labeled '9th grade'. It wasn't a particularly long line, but it was evident that the freshman lined up there were nervous and reluctant to make any bold moves. Little was said between the two until Sophia smiled and waved to a student who got into line behind them. "Hey Fransis, how was your summer?"  
The boy named Fransis looked up from the intent stare he had been giving his shoes.  
"Oh, hey Soph, didn't see ya' there. It wasn't too bad, went and visited some relatives most of it. How bought you?"  
"Eh, can't complain." Sophia offered with a shrug, swiping her shoulder length blond hair to the side. The two girls locked eyes for a moment and Sophia must have taken this as a good opportunity to introduce Judith to some new friends because a wide grin had spread across her lips.  
"Oh Fransis, this is my friend Judith Dixon-Grimes, she's from the North side too and she just transfered schools."  
Fransis soaked in her appearance and offered a genuine smile, holding out his hand, "Hello Judith Dixon-Grimes, I'm Fransis Rhee."   
Judith took his hand and shook, offering a smile of her own, "Nice to meet you and you can just call me Judith."  
"Only if you call me Fransis." At this they parted hands, his smile still plastered across his features. Fransis was a lanky Asian looking kid with slick black hair. He held an aurora of genuine kindness and soft features, which brought Judith to the conclusion that she liked him.  
She probably looked like a fool because of the grin that persistently befell her lips the farther up the line they moved. Judith couldn't believe how easy that was. She was sure that the moment she stepped foot into the school, all of the inhabitants would be able to see right through her. That the labels from her past school would have followed her, as obvious as an elephant in the room. However, she had been here nearly 10 minutes and she had yet to endure any judging glances or snide remarks.  
Once at the front of the line Judith gave her name to a bright, young blond woman in semi-formal wear. The women leaned forward to riffle through the many slips of paper neatly placed before her and Judith caught the sight of a name tag on her yellow blouse labeled: Greene.  
Ms. Greene took a moment to find her schedule and handed it over with a bright smile, "There you are, your locker number is 316, first floor and will be straight down that hallway." She informed her, pointing to the hallway to the left on the other side of the common area.  
Jude offered her thanks and stepped off to the side as she waited for Sophia.  
Her best friend and new acquaintance stepped up to the table and appeared to have a friendly conversation with Ms. Greene, so Judith took the time to anxiously look over her slip.  
The school here appeared to run on the block schedule meaning she would have 4 classes that alternated every other day and finished off with homeroom every day. The two groups were labeled 'A days' and 'B days'.  
Today, an A-Day, she had Foods 1, Geometry, Lunch, then Trigonometry, World History and Homeroom.  
Tomorrow, being a B-Day, she would have P.E., Biology, Lunch and then English 1 and 2D design.  
Just as she swept her eyes over the parchment a second time, Sophia and Fransis rejoined her, looking over their own schedules.  
"Aw man, P.E. first thing in the morning? Bummer." Fransis frowned as he glanced over Sophia's shoulder to catch a glimpse of her classes.  
"But hey, we have World History together today and English together tomorrow!" Fransis informed Sophia with a smile, "I'll catch you ladies later, gotta' find my locker before first period."  
Fransis disappeared into the crowed as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Jude and Sophia to fend for themselves.   
Sophia bent her head close to Jude's and brought up her own paper to compare.  
"Let's see, looks like we have Foods and History together today and P.E., lunch and English together tomorrow." Sophia informed her excitedly, followed by a gasp. Sophia did a double take and grabbed Judges wrist to keep her schedule steady. "You've got Geometry and Trig. Back to back today? What about Algebra?"  
Jude didn't mind the gripping hand at her wrist, if it were anyone else beside Sophia however, she would have reclaimed it. But close physical contact between the two was a daily occurrence. Jude shrugged, "Don't have to take it. I scored high enough on my C.O.M.P.A.S.S. test last year. I don't have to take Physical Science either."   
Sophia let out a huff, "Man Jude, what the hell? Who am I supposed to cheat off of now!?" Judith laughed, "I'm sure someone will be foolish enough to befriend you and help out." Sophia laughed herself, "Are you kidding me? I'm still surprised you put up with my weird ass sometimes."  
Jude let out a comical breath of air, "You're lucky I love you. Besides, you know too much about me for me to let you go alive." Shrugging as if their friendship were a mystery, " what locker do you have?"  
Sophia checked her schedule, "uh, 194."   
Pointing over her shoulder Jude continued, "I'm at 216. I'm gonna go try it out and I'll see you in first period?"  
Sophia gave a curt nod and greeted another girl as the two temporarily parted ways.  
Judith pushed her way through the crowded hall way, students of all grades congregating here and there. She kept her eyes fastened to the numbers etched into the narrow metal doors and was shocked when her shoulder met with something hard and the clatter of books could be heard.  
Looking up Judith realized that she had walked straight into a tall, gangly figure dressed in a white T-shirt and striped tie.  
She met the hazel eyes of the curly-ginger haired boy,"sorry, wasn't looking where I was going." She said as she bent down to help the kid collect his belongings.   
"It's cool." He replied, without missing a beat.  
The small encounter had drawn eyes as the pair retrieved the fallen books but Judith paid them no mind. She was used to people starring.  
The boy, books now nestled in his arms nodded to Judith his thanks and continued his way through the cluster of school goers.  
Judith watched the curly locks of the young man disappear into the crowd. She was almost confused, at her last school an encounter like that would have been handled with a string of insults or a disrespectful jeer.

Judith tried to not think about it too hard and let the seemingly friendliness of her new peers go to her head. Wolf always wore sheep's clothes.  
Judith followed the line of lockers about halfway down the hall until she found her designated home. The narrow red metal creaked under the weight of her unused school materials and she silently apologized to it, knowing more textbooks would just be added to the load later.  
Judith left the basics in her bag, one notebook, pencils, pens and various miscellaneous materials. When she had done her orientation over the summer, signing documents and such, she had been given a black-and-white map of the school. Checking her schedule for the room number of the culinary department Judith wound her ways back through the crowd and found the classroom on the other end of the school. When she arrived however, she noticed a hand-made sign hung on the door informing her that for the first day, all students were to report to homeroom first. Backtracking and checking her schedule and map yet again, the young brunette noticed that every door appeared to hold a sign with the same writing on it. Her homeroom was on the second floor, located in the Agricultural studies room. The door was already open, students bustling about inside.  
Taking one last nervous glance over her shoulder, Jude crossed the threshold and found a seat along the first aisle towards the middle. Homerooms were designed for students to wind down and complete homework or assignments towards the end of the day, which meant that there was no particular grade separation. It appeared that there was a rather even upper to lower class-man ratio.  
The freshman dropped her book bag and pushed it underneath the chair, seating herself and taking in her surroundings. Various students already occupied the area, eager to get the first day of classes over with. Small groups formed around chairs and on top of desks as those familiar with this procedure patiently waited. The teachers desk, old and peeling, sat empty at the front of the room, chalkboard looming behind it impressively.  
Jude couldn't believe that any rooms still had a chalkboard. Most had upgraded to whiteboards years ago.  
Besides the old board that Judith appreciated for its classic and antique feeling, something else caught her eye. Or more like someone.  
White shirt and striped tie gleaming in the almost dull background, Judith noticed the boy she had accidentally ran into earlier, tucked into a corner in the back.   
The curly haired boy sat secluded, two out of the three chairs around him vacant. She couldn't explain it but Judith had the sudden urge to join him, maybe to apologize more thoroughly. She figured being sure that she made friends rather than enemies her first day would be wise. Judith fought the compulsion however, not wanting to seem odd or step out of turn. Just as she thought so, it seemed her idea was denied anyway, as a stocky blond girl took the seat next to him and immediately started a conversation. She couldn't decide if she were impressed or intimidated by the female who had strut across the room, steps full of purpose. She had on a tight floral vest and respectable slick black leather skirt that clung to her form just before her knees. The shimmering belt around her waist matched the eccentric accessories she wore and the bright red lipstick that sophisticated her face. While the girl appeared to be slightly overweight, almost awkward, she seemed comfortable in her skin, smokey grey eyes peering from behind her bright pixie cut bangs. Followed behind her and taking the seat in front of her acquaintance was an athlete built, raven haired girl. She had an intimidating Gothic aura around her, long black hair falling down her shoulders and into her dark brown eyes lined heavily with liner. She wore a tight pair of green laced midnight Tripp pants and a sleeveless black Misfits shirt that was slightly too short, exposing the fainted sliver of skin. She had several visible piercings along her ears and face as well as what looked like some tattoos peeking out here and there.  
Judith had always appreciated people who 'dare to be different'. She herself had several shirts that had that phrase printed upon them.  
Thinking it wise to not get caught staring, Judith diverted her eyes and to the front of the class and realized that the teachers desk was now occupied. There sat a well dressed man, who she guessed to be in his late 20s if not 30s, who looked like he just stepped out of a GQ magazine. He was an attractive man with short dirty-blond hair and an aura of sophistication. He had a trust worthy smile as one student struck up a casual conversation with him, making the air light. A few more minutes of people-watching and the bell rang, indicating the start of class.  
The teacher didn't wait for stragglers as he stood from his desk and held up a hand for order. This request was immediately filled as every student straightened put in their seat and ceased their conversations.  
Smiling, he swept his eyes over the class and soaked in the faces that met him.  
"Well, here we are again. For those of you who don't know, my name is Mr. Danahoo, I won't blame you if you spell it wrong over the first few weeks."  
A round of chuckles filled the room at what Jude guessed was an inside joke between this Mr. Danahoo and his returning students.  
"How was everyone's summer?"  
The silence was again filled, but this time with muffled or vague responses.   
Mr. Danahoo put on a charming smile as he crossed his arms over her broad chest and leaned back onto his desk, crossing his ankles as well, "Yah, I didn't really do much either."   
Judith couldn't help but smile. She was sure with her luck that she would get one of those uptight teachers who took homeroom too seriously. But, in fact, she liked Mr. Danahoo already. He seemed laid back and open. His attractive physique certainly didn't hurt either.  
Unfolding his arms, he retrieved a thick red packet from atop his desk and held it up.  
"I'm not going to bore ya'll by reading through the entire handbook today but don't think I won't do it if ya'll get out of hand later in the year." He casually warned as he tossed it back onto his desk carelessly.  
"So here's the deal, I'll give you the short version and when thats done we'll go around the room and get to know each other."  
Some students let out light woops and thanks in knowing they weren't going to actually read the book sized pamphlet.  
"Dress-Codes and regulations are the same everywhere. No phones in class, but since this is homeroom if I know you are on top of your work I don't mind if you have them out. If they become a distraction however, I will change that rule, so don't be 'that-guy' who ruined it for everyone, okay?" He paused to let the information sink in.  
"I have simple rules, be respectful of each other and courteous to those around you, some studying actually has to get done here." A knowing smirk played across his lips as he paused again and appeared to meet the eyes of someone in the back.  
Glancing over her shoulder, Judith realized he was looking at the curly haired boy she ran into earlier. Collective giggling broke out as the kid dipped his head with a smile at Mr. Danahoo's remark.  
"Also be considerate of our work space. Some of you already know that this is not my room, I just borrow it from Ms. Greene for homeroom. For those of you who don't know, I am the drama instructor here, as well as the head of the theater department. My room is just too small for a larger class and Ms. Greene doesn't have a homeroom, so here we are. But enough about me-" he clapped his hands together and stood up off his desk. "Let's reacquaint ourselves and meet all of the new students who will be joining us this year."  
Mr. Danahoo instructed them to start at one end of the room on the opposite side of Judith. They were told to state their name, grade, where they were from and anything exciting that happened to them over the summer or their hobbies. 

Judith learned soon that the boy she had run into earlier was named Connor. He was from Ohio and he participated in the local theater group over summer. The raven haired girl she had admired earlier was named Alexas but she preferred Lex, she was from California and enjoyed art and writing. The pixie cut blonde girl was named Loreli, this was her home town and she too participated in the local theater over the summer. All three where Sophomores and had Mr. Danahoo's homeroom last year.  
Judith caught bits and pieces of other students introductions including one boy who caught his 4-wheeler on fire, another who had totaled his truck, and a girl who drove to Arkansas with her family but their car died and they had to spend the night sleeping in the cab.  
Mr. Danahoo and various students interjected casual comments along the way, making it feel like a friendly get together rather than a class orientation. It was then that Judith actually felt out of place. Clearly the class, even the freshman here, seemed to be a tight knit community and she was the outsider.  
Too soon it was Judith's turn and suddenly she felt nervous under the gentle eyes of her homeroom teacher. Taking a deep breathe she found her voice and thanked the man-up-stairs that little fear filtered through her words, "Um, hi. I'm Judith Dixon-Gimes. That's with a hyphen. Just Dixon or Grimes is fine, well actually, just Jude or Judith." She let out an awkward chuckle as she realized that she was already rambling. "I'm a freshman, I lived on the North side of Atlanta until just this summer so my family is kinda' new to this side of town. Didn't do much over summer, but I am into art and stuff like that. I'm not picky."   
Judith nodded awkwardly to indicate that she was finished and was met with a bright smile from her teacher and curious looks from her classmates.  
"Well, welcome to North Atlanta Judith." Mr. Danahoo seemed to know how uncomfortable she felt and pushed the class forward to finish their introductions.  
After every student had shared, the remainder of class was filled with a group conversations about local events, making playful fun of one another and animated story-telling.   
Though Jude had slid down in her chair in her moment of uncomfortableness, she found herself smiling.  
This was too good to be true. While she hasn't actually made any friends, those around her didn't single her out. The dark skinned young man -she remembered his name was Dwane- behind her even asked her questions about where she was from and how her family was doing with the move. She vaguely described how her parents were doing good with work and setting up the house.

She was willing to share with anyone who wasn't being a condescending prick but she wasn't going to boldly tell anyone who spoke to her, 'this school is friendly, I like it here and hey, my parents are gay and I was bullied a lot at my last school.'

Once class let out Judith went to her Foods 1 class where she sat with Sophia. They were required to read through the textbook about safety while in the kitchen and it proved to be dull and unexciting. The teacher didn't help any either, Mrs. Harris was an older gal who looked ready to retire and her voice was squeaky and overly excited. Each student took turns reading in the book, which as always, brought the spirit in the room to a sleepy halt. The end of class couldn't have come soon enough.

Judith and Sophia walked together as far as the vocal room where they parted ways with wishes of good luck. Checking her map again, Jude found her way to her next class, Geometry, where she would also have Trig. after lunch. The room was already packed, the only seats left being scattered amongst the two front rows. She took a seat at the far end of the second row and watched as the teacher scribbled mathematical points on the whiteboard.  
Judith took note that at the top of said board the name Jameson was written in almost illegible handwriting. The plump teacher turned to address the class as the bell rang and the last students were piling in.  
Judith was first surprised when two of the late students, who took the seats in front of her, were Lex and Loreli. She then reminded herself that this was a 10th grade class and it was only natural for them to be there. As class proceeded Judith decided that she found Mr. Jameson's rash and almost corny humor refreshing and the subject material enticing. Yet again, Judith was not once singled out nor antagonized.

But all good things must come to an end.

Lunch passed quickly as Judith ate in solitude outside the school. Normally she would have eaten with Sophia but the block-scheduling required there to be two lunch periods and they only had lunch together on B-Days. She had noticed the boy Sophia had introduced her to earlier, Fransis, but felt it was too soon to claim a seat at his already organized table. She had also noticed Connor, Lex and Loreli together in line for lunch but again, she would rather not overstep her boundaries. As the day progressed the temperature rose to a comfortable warmth, the early fall breeze a pleasant friend. Jude was still on a high from the amount of welcome she had been given the moment she stepped through the door. The brunette had brought her tray in just as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. Going to her locker and switching out her books, Judith found herself zoning out and watching down the hallway as hordes of students made their way.  
Realizing too late, a set of eyes had locked onto hers with a strange mix of amusement and annoyance. From the outside it must have looked as if Judith had been staring intently at the blond haired dame just a few lockers down. The prissy looking blond let out a fake laugh, now looking more to her friends than to her, "Sorry, I'm straight."   
The small group surrounding the blond tried to muffle their laughter but their stolen glances at her made it obvious.  
Judith raised an eyebrow, "Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart." She retorted with ease.  
She had heard far worse before and this was child's play.  
The blond had lost her smugness and her previously victorious smirk was now replaced with a bitter scowl. The group around her let out 'ooaaahh's as if they were expecting them to immerse into some type of fight.  
The blond however, decided to back down by slamming her locker door shut and storming off down the hall, closely followed by her group of friends.  
'Well, its not like I was expecting a perfect day to begin with' Judith grumpily thought, mood dropping, as she realized her personal space was being breached.  
A mop of curly ginger hair was suddenly ducking down beside her as Connor watched the group disappear into the crowd.  
"Daaaamn, nice one North-Side. Tess looked like you just pissed on her front porch."  
Judith wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.  
"Tess? That the blond chick who is clearly too full of herself?"  
Connor nodded, "Yup, she's a bitch, trust you me. But watch it, shes an olympic reputation ruiner."   
"Hm." Judith continued to stare down the hallway even though the fleeting form of Tess had long since disappeared.  
Connor smiled at her, a well trained hand extended in greeting, "I'm Connor, by the way."  
Jude accepted the handshake, even if she already knew who he was. "Judith, we have homeroom together."  
"I know. I'm surprised. Most people don't pay attention to that whole beginning of the year intro thing."  
"Well, clearly you do, otherwise you wouldn't have known that we have homeroom together."  
Connor held up his hands, "Caught me. Damn, your perceptive. And I thought I was being stealthy. I like to sector out the fresh meat, helps me sort the friendly from the fake."  
Judith hummed at this, "which am I?"  
"Well, you're definitely not fake. But I can tell by the way ya' stammered through your intro that you've got a lot more ta' say."  
Damn, this kid was good.  
"Doesn't everyone?"  
Connor shrugged innocently at that, "sure, but you in particular. You've got a story."  
Judith hummed to herself again and looked over her shoulder, more to evade the subject, "Well, I should go. Gotta' get ta' class. See ya' around?"   
Connor smiled, straightening put his tie, "Definitely."

Jude filtered through the day with little more excitement. The first negative remark she had encountered today from the girl named Tess, plagued her mind. She was almost angry at the blond for bringing her mood from an exponential level to the cold ground.  
Trigonometry class had been just as interesting to her as Geometry, jumping right into the lessons. Already they were taking notes and assigned homework to be completed by Wednesday. World History had been drowl, Judith and Sophia having whispered conversations in the back in an effort to lighten the mood. She had expressed her distaste for the Tess girl as soon as she could, divulging into her previous encounter.  
The final bell rang at 3:15 p.m., signalling the end of school. Usually they would have homeroom last but do to the odd first-day schedule, that was different today.  
The two freshman left class together and temporarily parted ways as each went to their own lockers. They met up again at the front doors and exited the building, walking home and telling each other all about their classes.  
The school parking lot was in a frenzy, students rushing to their cars and trying to get off campus as soon as possible. Busses were lined up in front of the school, collecting the mobs that piled around them. There had even been a point where Sophia stepped off the curb to cross and almost got hit by a car. Judith had had to yank her back by the back of her shirt to avoid a deadly scenario.   
The two chattered aimlessly as they made their way home. When they stopped in front of Sophia's house, Judith's best friend had spun enthusiastically on her heals.  
"Wanna' hang out for a bit?"  
Judith had wanted to but her exhausted body protested, "I'd love to, but I've already got Geometry and Trig homework."  
"What? Are you kidding? Its the first day!" Sophia's eyes bulged out of their sockets almost comically.  
"I know. But Mr. Jameson doesn't play around."  
Her friend let out an overly dramatic sigh, "Fine. Already ditchin' me to go do smart kid stuff. Ya' think ya' know a person. Whatevs'." She teased.   
The young brunette couldn't help but laugh, "Whatever! See ya'"

Judith walked the rest of the way home by herself, her steps light as she entered her house. She had managed to push aside her hurt feelings, courtesy of Tess, and called it a good day. She tracked straight into the kitchen to grab a snack, settling on grapes and a can of soda. She could hear the faint sounds of music and cluttering coming from the garage, tall-tale signs that her dad was still hard at work. She decided to greet him quickly by opening the door and yelling, "Hey dad, I'm home!"  
She wasn't sure if he heard her but closed the door anyway and took her snack up stairs with her to her room. She left the door open and dropped her bag on the floor. Half-heartedly making her bed, she retrieved her bag and sat cross-legged on her blankets. The next two hours she ate her snack and managed to finish both of her math classes homework.  
Closing her Trig book, Judith heard the faint sounds of her dad down stairs and with nothing better to do, made her way down stairs.  
She found her dad in the kitchen prepping what looked like baked chicken in a pan, a total slung over her shoulder.   
It was an unspoken routine in their house that Rick often made breakfast, seeing that he was usually the first up for work and Daryl made dinner, as he usually called it a day before Rick got home.  
"Hey, dad." Judith made herself known as she entered the kitchen and leaned against the counter.  
"Hey, kid. Ya' disappeared awfully quick earlier. How was school?" Daryl looked up from the potatoes he was currently peeling for their meal.  
Judith shrugged, "Pretty good actually. Met a few people, got some alright classes. Nothin' major to report."  
Her dad nodded, "Tha's good."   
His eyes lingered on her for a second, giving the impression that he wanted to say more but didn't. Instead it appeared he rather change the subject, "Wanna' help me out here?" He vaguely gestured with the peeler in his hand.  
Jude pushed herself from the counter, "Sure."

The two made dinner in comical fashion, throwing playful comments back and forth and speculating on one another's day. It was about 6 pm when Rick walked through the door, looking worn out. Greeting his daughter and husband, the sheriff made his way upstairs where he stripped of his uniform, rinses himself off and put on a change of cloths. The family ate dinner and lounged about for the night, little excitement captivating them. It seemed in that moment that their little misshapen family had hope of a new beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we go, chapter 2. Had some fun and planning to do for this one, setting up their intertwining schedules. In case you hadn't noticed there were quite a few OCs introduced in this one. They will all be more crucial to the story later, I promise. Any who, thanks for reading, please review!!


	3. A Change In Pace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing.

With the first jump taken, Judith found the new flow of school to be quite humble. Tuesday was almost just as promising as the day before, a well kept breakfast fueling her for her second day. Jude made her way to school, a spring in her step and Sophia close at her side.   
Her B-Day classes were fair, happy that she had lunch with Sophia. P.E., Biology, and English were certainly not her best subjects but they weren't entirely disappointing. The highlight of the school day was her 2D Design class, her enthusiastic and quirky teacher Mrs. Fry leading them through basic sketching techniques.  
Judith was astounded that day two had gone so well, not a single mishap to be had. She was sent home that day with no homework and since she had already completed her work from the day before she invited Sophia over to send the rest of the evening relaxing.   
When the two friends entered her home together they found her dad in the kitchen along with another friendly face eating sandwiches.  
Once she registered who the visitor was she hastened her steps, dropping her book bag on the floor and nearly tackling the strong figure in a hug, "Uncle Merle!"  
Her uncle was a dedicated Military man who she hasn't seen in over 2 years. As far as she knew, he had been stationed in California, training new recruits. Merle had always been a loving man to his family, coming over as often as he could including holidays and get togethers. While his sketchy criminal recorded had been questioned often, the young Jude had paid no mind to it, happy to lavish in the man's presence. Some of her earliest memories were of wrestling her uncle at friendly barbeques, only winning when he was feeling generous enough to fake being injured by her.  
Merle quickly set down his food before sweeping her up into a bone crushing hug that lifted her off her feet, a broad smile softening his features. "Hey kiddo! Surprise' ta' see y're ol' uncle?"  
He set her down gingerly before rustling her hair. "Yah! What r' you doing here? When did you get back?"  
"Jus' got inta' town las' nigh'. Thought I'd stop in ta' see y're ol' man and my favorite niece."  
Daryl let out a comical scoff through a bite of bread beside them, "She's y're only niece."  
The older man eyed him, "Whatever."  
Jude could barely contain her excitement, "How long are you here for?"  
Her uncle leaned back onto the counter, "On 'bout 5 month leave f'er now."  
Things just kept getting better. It was then that the young brunette remembered her friend waiting patiently at the kitchen entrance, "Oh, Uncle Merle, you remember Sophia? We went to school together on the North side and she was over a lot."  
Her uncle turned to nod and smile at Sophia, "O' course, how coul' I forgot? How's y're ma' doin', darlin'?"  
Sophia took a casual step forward, offering him a smile back, "Hey Merle, good to see you again. My mom's doing great."  
Excited to catch up with everyone, Merle asked if they could move to the living room, where everyone sat along the couch and loveseat.  
"Y're uncle's thinkin' 'bout helpin' me work on my next project. So, 'm sorry ta' say we'll hav' ta' put up with his ass walkin' in n' out a' tha' house f'r a couple a' weeks."  
Judith couldn't help the sarcastic groan that left her, pulling a fake hurt look from Merle as she said, "Ugh, really? Man, I don't know if I can handle that."  
The room filled with laughter before her uncle retorted, "Ouch! Lil' lady, tha' hurt! See 'f I come ta' surprise ya' ever 'gan."  
They spent a while catching up, her dad telling her uncle about the move, Judith and Sophia telling them about school. After the excitement wore off a little and it sunk in that her Uncle would be around a lot more often now, as well as for dinner tonight, Judith decided to excuse herself and Sophia up to her room. Daryl asked if Sophia also wanted to stay for dinner, the promise of carry-out pizza tempting her into accepting before the two made their way upstairs.   
Sophia flopped onto her bed as she took out her cell phone, "Man, your family is so cool. All I got ta' show for is the inheritance I'll be getting from my granny when she finally keels over."  
Judith laughed as she made to sit down next to her friend, her reclaimed backpack being dropped half hazardly on the cluttered floor, "Gotta' love 'em."  
Sophia called her mother to let her know that she wouldn't be home for dinner, Judith talking over her to make her friend tell her mom 'hi' for her. After this was done the two laid back on her messy bed, talking away about their second day.  
"I'm tellin' you Jude, drama may just be my new favorite class. Have you seen the instructor? He is HOT."   
"Yah, Mr. Danahoo. I got him for homeroom. And while he isn't necessarily bad looking, I just think its weird to say a teacher hot."  
"Callin' me weird?"  
"I'm sorry, was that a question?"  
The two paused in laughter before Judith continued, "I'm just happy I don't have many classes with that Tess girl."  
"Tess? Tess Hegbeath? Blond chick? Real prissy?  
"That's the one."  
"Don't worry nobody likes her. She's a bitch."  
Judith laughed again at her friends bluntness, "That's what that Sophomore Connor said."  
"Connor? Connor who? You said he's a sophomore?"  
"I wanna say Evens is his last name or something like that. I ran into him in the hall yesterday and I have a class or two with him. Nice guy."  
Sophia sat up at the sound of someone knocking on her open door, her daddy occupying the open space, uniform still on.  
Sophia smiled to greet him, "Sup', Mr. G?"  
Rick took a step into her room, "Hey girls, dinners here."  
The two girls stood up in eagerness, following her daddy into the hallway, "I'll be right down. Gonna change."  
The two girls began their descent down the stairs before Jude spoke over her shoulder, "What, gotta' impress Uncle Merle?" and smirked when she heard her daddy let out a single barking 'Ha!' from inside his room.  
The girls joined Judith's family at the table, 3 large steaming pizza's welcoming their appetites. Rick soon joined them, now in his casual wear, "ah man, I'm starvin'."   
Merle couldn't help but laugh as he said, "wha'? Long day chasin' down criminals, Sheriff Friendly?"  
Rick smiled as he took a bite of sausage pizza, "Tha's Mr. Sheriff Deputy Friendly to you."  
Judith poured herself some soda which she assumed was ordered with their dinner. When she fumbled with securing the cap on the 2-liter however, Sophia leaned over and stole her cup, taking a few gulps, "too slow."  
Judith punched her arm but let her friend keep it, pouring herself another. The group accompanied their dinner with friendly chatter, always at least two different conversations being had at once. It was a nice finish to the day, Judith thought, as they sat around the table, food finished and stories being told. Her Uncle Merle had just indulged them in a lively tale of the card games he and his buddies had made up to pass the long California nights when Sophia decided it best that she go home. The family said their goodnights to her best friend as she departed, stomachs grateful for the feast they had just had.

The week past by quickly for Judith as she got used to the routine of school life. She stayed up most nights to watch movies, with her parents cuddled together on the couch or sketch before going to school again. True to his word, her Uncle Merle was there most days when she got home and stayed through dinner. On her B-Day's with Sophia she began sitting with Francis for lunch, not yet fully comfortable with occupying lunch-table space if she were alone.  
The weekend was uneventful. Her first high school Saturday morning was slept away, until her dad barged into her room at 11am and jumped on her. She got gutsy, finding the man napping on the couch only 2 hours later, and returned the favor. She had placed a kiss on his cheek before running for her life out the door, yelling through her laughter that she was going to Sophia's. Her daddy had had to work that day and with nothing else to do the two friends roamed the streets of Atlanta, window shopping. When she returned that night she noticed that her dad's lip was busted open, thinking she had been the cause of his injury she apologized like crazy. Her dad however had unconvincingly assured her that he had decided to work on one of his bikes in her absence and lost his grip on a steel tool, which had backlashed in his face. While she didn't believe him, she accepted that her father would never admit that she could do him any harm.  
Sunday she spent to herself and with her family. Rick, having the day off, forced his husband and daughter into the car to go pick up groceries. Other than this, the farthest Judith got to leaving the house was doing her homework on the porch, the fall air a welcomed friend.  
Judith was finding it easy to fall into the rhythm of her classes, making new acquaintances as she went along. It was like being reborn. Mostly everyone at her school was friendly towards her and if anyone didn't like her, they kept it to themselves.  
It was Wednesday night and Jude was working on labelling pictures of different cells for her Biology class in her room. She had put on light rock music to fill the air when half way through one of her favorite songs she suddenly heard the sound of someone raising their voice from downstairs. She looked up from her textbook, training her ears for any other sound and when the noise continued Judith stood from her bed to pause her CD player. She could now hear the muffled sound of her fathers talking downstairs. She tiptoed through her doorframe, down the hall and leaned over the railing of the stairs to listen to what she was now certain her parent's arguing.  
"-because Rick, ya' used ta' badger me all th' damn time 'bout opennin' up an' now tha' it's th' other way 'round y're makin' a big deal 'bout it!"  
"It's nothing, Daryl! How many times do I gotta' say that?"  
"Oh, bull shit, I've known ya' long enough ta' know y'er lyin'!"  
There was silence before Rick spoke again, this time quieter.   
"Hun', this ain't about us."  
"Since when? Since ya' got y'er shiny new badge?"  
"Maybe! Is that what ya' want me ta' say? That I don't fucking care about my family anymore? That something more damn important has come up and I'm just gonna leave?"  
"Tha's not wha' I'm sayin', Rick."  
"Than what? What are you saying, Daryl?"  
"I'm sayin' tha' ever since we got here, it's like I don't know ya' anymore!"  
Daryl paused, "I never see ya' and even when that happened before on the North side a' least ya'd talk ta' me when ya' were here!... I mean Fuck, Rick, ya' don' think this 's hard on me too? M' drivin' m'self crazy an' y're choosen' now ta' pull 'way fro' me!?" The last part was nearly a shout and Judith flinched.  
There was silence again and Judith almost retreated until her daddy finally spoke softly, on what she guessed was the verge of tears, "I know. I know, okay? I just- I don't know what I'm doin' right now, Daryl. This-This whole thing is just- I don't know what I'm doin' anymore."  
Both voices were whispers now and Judith had to lean farther over the railing to hear.  
"I know, baby, I know. It's been hard on all a' us. But I can' help if ya' if ya' don't le' me."  
"That's just it. I don't think ya' can. Ya' can't change the way the world is, Daryl."  
There was a pause, "We came here ta' start over, but it's the same everywhere. We've only been here a couple months and ya' were already attacked, Daryl. And I- I wasn't there. I wasn't there ta' fucking kill that son of a bitch that jumped you in broad daylight. We came here ta' get away from it all. For us, for Judy."  
"Jude's jus' fine, hun. Tougher than nails."  
"Yah, but what if she'd been with ya'? It could still happen and I'm a cop- but there's only so much the law can do. It can't stop the crime from happenin'."  
There was the sound of what Judith guessed was her parents kissing before Daryl continued.  
"Firs' off, ya' know tha' if Jude ha' been with me and tha' asshole ha' even thought 'bout touchin' her, ya'd be watchin' me on trial f'r brutal murder righ' now. N' secon', I love you and ya' knew fro' th' beginnin' tha' this was gonna be tough."  
There was another pause.  
"But tha's it, Rick. I love you. And I love Judith. And ain't nothin' gonna stop my family fro' bein' happy."  
"I worry 'bout Judith a lot."  
Daryl let out a chuckle, "Well good. Tha's wha' a parents s'posed ta' do. I do too, all th' damn time. But I know tha' we raised our baby girl ta' not take shit fro' nobody an' hell she's 14 an' stronger th'n most grown men."  
"I know... you're right. You're always right, damn you." Her daddy laughed.  
"'M sorry. It's just something someone on the force said ta' me today. Got me thinking wrong."  
"Who was it?"  
"Ya' know I can't say. Protocol."  
"Damn. N' here I was plannin' ta' kick some ass."  
"Oh, it's MY protocol to not tell you. Not the forces. Guy mighta' been a jerk but he don't deserve ta' have his legs broken over it. It's for his own protection."  
They shared a laugh and it was then that Judith decided to cease her eavesdropping. Her parents have fought before but it was never meaningless fights. They always had a purpose for getting so angry with each other. Judith turned her music back on but turned it down. She needed something to distract her while she finished her work but not blare her senses.  
Judith had trouble sleeping that night, the conversation she had listened in on replaying in her head.  
So that split lip she thought she had given her dad had really been from being jumped? And he hasn't said anything to her?  
Each one of her close family members, including herself, had been in a physical fight because of her parents relationship but it never got easier to digest.   
She hadn't even noticed her fathers talking less over the last few weeks either but thinking back she guessed her dad was right. Nor had she really acknowledged that her parents seemed worried about her enough to fight with each other about it.  
Judith rolled over and sighed deeply, thinking to herself, 'I guess this isn't really the paradise I thought it was'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one isn't as long and took a while to come out. I've started a new one-shot Rickyl collection that I'm having fun with and I'm kinda' really getting into it. Its called The Legend Of, and if you want more actual detailed Rickyl, I'd love if you checked it out. Thanks for the encouraging comments too! They are what really got me to kick my butt into gear and get this chapter done. Thanks again for reading, please review!


	4. Better Late Than Never

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing

Over the next few days the argument that her parents had had plagued her mind. Each of her father's words swirled around her mind forming conflicting emotions that battled vigorously for dominance . Her dad said she was strong. But in that moment, she feared he was mistaken. She woke the following morning with led in her veins, weighing down the stream of confidence that had begun to form. She wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and worry herself ragged but then she'd have to come up with a reasonable excuse not to go to school. This task seemed even more difficult than just biting the nail and facing her parents. Dragging her feet, Judith got ready for the day, worrying less about her appearance and putting on a black hoodie to hide behind, if needed. She couldn't even bring herself to stick around for breakfast. Jude hurried down stairs and went straight for the door, yelling from the hall that she was planning on meeting Sophia early this morning. This was a lie however and if her daddy knew it, she wasn't sure because she had only stopped quick enough to tell him before heading out for the day. On her way she pulled out her cell phone, sending her best friend a text to see if she were up yet. In all honesty, Judith didn't really feel like talking to anyone but she could never shut out Sophia like she did to the rest of the world.  
When the young brunette found herself standing outside of Sophia's house with no reply from her friend she decided to call her. No one picked up, so she left a voicemail about needing to go in early to take care of some stuff and that she would meet her there.  
When Judith arrived, there were substantially less bodies occupying the front of the school. It was still quite early, so she made her way inside and took a seat at one of the round tables in the lunch room where she took out her sketch pad. Mindlessly, she made several doodles on a page while the school began to fill up the closer it got to the first bell. She had been so engrossed with drawing the detail on the jacket of a skeletal circus ringleader that she jumped when someone sat down next to her.  
"Woah, relax. I won't bite. Promise." Francis was smiling over at her as he laid down his bag.  
"Sorry, wasn't paying attention." Judith continued her drawing, unsatisfied with the proportion of the straps on either side of her ringleader's coat.  
The dark haired boy chuckled as he removed a textbook from his bag, "Man, first few weeks are ruff already. We've got an English paper due already and I don't have a clue what's goin' on in Science."  
Jude couldn't help but mumble, "You're tellin' me." as flashes from last night played in in her head.  
Francis leaned over to catch a glimpse of what she was working on before letting his jaw drop slightly, "Woah, that is so cool. Never pegged you for the artist type."  
Her pencil stopped moving at this as she looked up to meet Francis's eye, "What do you mean by that?"  
She always hated being judged by her appearance, good or bad, it was a trigger for her.  
He was silent for a moment, shock written in his features at her sudden coldness. It took him a moment to recover before he held up a hand in defence, "oh- uh, nothing. Really, it's just- well, that you're in Sophomore classes and- and I, uh- I always thought you looked- um, looked like the sophisticated scholar type, is all. And- and well, you're so pretty and uh-" he dropped his gaze at that last part, face growing red with embarrassment. Judith raised a brow at his rambling, wondering if the 'pretty' comment was just to flatter her into not yelling at him. He appeared genuinely apologetic however and she felt bad for taking out her bad mood on him. In the week and a half that she had known Francis he had never been anything but nice to her.  
Judith took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, didn't me to snap. I've just got a lot on my mind."  
"Its cool. Did- did you wanna talk about it, or-?"  
She shook her head before he could continue, "No."  
An awkward silence filled the air before she felt the need to redeem herself, "Do you want help with your Science homework?"  
Judith spent the time before classes explaining Newton's first 3 laws to Francis until Sophia arrived. The three sat for a while talking about the pep-rally scheduled at the end of the day until the first bell rang, signalling class. Their light conversation helped to lift her mood and Judith found that her school work took her mind off of the turmoil that settled in her mind.  
Thursday came and went before she knew it, dinner being spent avoiding her parents eyes as she ate in silence.  
It wasn't until Friday in homeroom that she had all but forgotten her troubles. Judith had just returned to class from switching out her books for the day, hoping to beat the crowd if she didn't have to go to her locker after the final bell. When she walked back into the classroom her spot had been taken by someone, desk pushed over to study alongside a friend. Judith hesitated for a moment, knowing that they didn't have a seating arrangement and took a new residence in the back. She had just taken out her copy of Staying Fat for Sarah Barnes, which she was reading for English class, when someone made a loud, "PST!" noise in her direction. She looked up to meet the heavily make-uped eyes of Lorelie, the blond pixie-cut haired girl she had admired on her first day. "Hey, Judith right?"  
She nodded her confirmation when she realized the girl had in fact been speaking to her.  
"You're a freshman right? I noticed we have Geometry together."   
Judith nodded again, wondering where this was going. Before Lorelie could continue however, the curly head of Connor materialized in the seat next to her, "Man Lor, you are terrible with small talk. Geometry? Really?"  
The blond swatted at him, "Shut up. Friendly ain't my thing."  
Before Jude knew it, a third form joined them and sat on Connor's desk. This form being raven haired with heavy looking black leather boots which she propped on the edge of judith's chair, "It's true, her first words to me were 'Outta' the way'."  
The three friends laughed at what Judith guessed were fond memories.  
Lorelie flipped her bangs from her eyes, "Whatever. You bitches love me. Anyway, my mad-man-a-jamma' here tells me you had a bad run in with the shrew."  
Judith stared at them blankly for a moment until she realized that they were referring to the encounter she had had with Tess last week.  
"Oh, uh, yah. She always that friendly?"  
Connor let out a loud laugh that drew a few wandering eyes, before he curtly and quite seriously said, "Yah."  
Lex snickered, "Connor hates her with a fiery passion."  
"Oh, and you don't?" Lorelie cut in.  
Lex nodded, seeming to contemplate the question asked at her, "Yes but Connor has a reason to. I just hate her cuz' she's a stuck up, rich bitch, who always gets her way."  
Connor nodded along as if he agreed with this analogy before Lex leaned in closer to Judith, her voice low, "She's a Junior and in our freshman year she tried to get in ta' Connor's pants but when he shot her down she started a rumor that he was selling drugs in the school bathrooms."  
Connor continued the story for her, unashamed, "It was funny. Until it got to a teacher and suddenly they were searching all my shit. But whatever, I have my reasons."  
Lex and Lorelie laughed and Judith couldn't fight the feeling that she was missing something. Before she could help it, her sarcastic humor got the better of her, "What, herpes?"  
The three doubled over in laughter, Lorelie whipping at her eye as she choked out, "This chick! Oh man, I like her, she can stay!"  
When their laughter died down into repressed giggles, Connor mustered up the most innocent smile he could manage, "No, I'm just not into chicks. The fear of Tess having Herp's is a close second though."  
Judith's eyes grew wide for a moment at his bluntness. She had kept her mouth shut about being a surrogated child herself due to the cruel treatment she had received over the years, but here Connor was saying it proudly. Instinctually not wanting to give her family away the only thing that left her mouth was, "Oh."  
The three giggled at her, gauging her reaction before Lex nudged her, "What? Never met a gay guy before?"  
Judith stammered, "No, it's just- it uh-"  
"What?"  
There was an extended moment of silence, while Judith struggled with what to say before deciding to lay all of her cards on the table, "My- my uh, parents are gay, I have two fathers."  
The three hadn't seemed to expect that, a second moment of silence occurring before Lorelie stammered a laugh, "No shit? Like what, your ma' is just gone?"  
Lex turned to slap her friend, "Lorelie! The hell?"  
Judith couldn't stop the laugh that passed her lips as she shook her head, "It's cool, no, my parents used a surrogate."  
Connor extended his fist in offer, "Right on."  
Judith met the action with a smile on her face. She knew that telling such things to practical strangers wasn't the wisest choice but if Connor could be so open with her than she could too.  
When the conversation commenced, it had nothing to do about what she had just told them. It was as if the three had took what she said, accepted it as ordinary and moved on. They spent the remainder of class talking about the upcoming choir concert, which Lex and Lorelie would be participating in and ended the day on a good note.  
Over the next couple of weeks, the three had taken to Judith. Homerooms could be found with the four chatting over textbooks and occasionally being teased by Mr. Danahoo for their rambunctious antics when things got boring. Lex and Lorelie often asked her to compare answers in Geometry when they had free work time, more as an excuse to talk than to actually run over equations. She also had Biology and 2D Design with Connor and the ginger haired boy took to pairing with her for any group tasks. She had even been ecstatic when her three new friends invited her to eat outside with them at lunch one A-Day. While she always loved her best friend Sophia's company, she wasn't really into the arts. Judith found that the one subject that would always spark an engaging conversation where drawing, performing, and writing with her new peers. While Judith never really got on stage to act herself, she enjoyed the art-form and all of its theoretical meaning. When she wasn't with the three, she had realized that her only other close acquaintance was Francis, who would sit with her and Sophia on B-Day lunches and chatter away with them in History class.  
It was on one cold Saturday when Judith had been working on her 2D Design project while watching TV, that her phone went off. She had shared her number with her new friends, texting from time to time and getting to know one another. The text was from Lorelie, asking if she wanted to meet her, Lex, and Connor at a local coffee shop called Adam Street Espresso for something warm to drink. She had jumped at the offer, grateful for a reason to give her aching hand a break. She had asked her daddy and when he approved he offered her spending money, happy that she was getting out of the house and making friends. Rick had offered to drive her as well but Judith didn't want to bother him, seeing as the shop her friends had directed her to was only a few blocks away. Her daddy smiled and told to call her dad if she wanted a ride home than, seeing as he was already out at his brothers place, helping him move furniture.  
Judith briskly made her way to the coffee shop, the signs of an early winter biting at the tips of her fingers. She let her mind wander, a repetitive tune clinging to her brain that she couldn't quite place, when she thought of Sophia. The brunette grinned to herself as she located her cell phone, knowing that if she didn't invite her best friend, Sophia would hold it over head for weeks.  
'Going to hang out with some new friends, wanna go? -J'  
It only took a minute or two for a reply to come through.  
'Who's gonna be there? -S'  
'Lorelie, Lex, and Connor -J'  
'......Who? -S'  
Judith could help but chuckle.  
'I DON'T KNOW THEIR LAST NAMES, JUST COME! -J'  
'Fiiiiiiine wer? -S'  
'*Where? -S'  
'Adam street espresso? -J'  
'Be there in 10 -S'

Judith pocketed her phone and walked another block before she entered the business district of South Atlanta, admiring the different shops as they came into view. Looking up at a small shop, painted a dark green and sandwiched between two other stores, Judith noticed the sign that read Adam Street Espresso over the door. She entered the shop, shrugging off her jacket and shivering from the cold as she took in her surroundings. It was a dimly lit hole-in-the-wall place, decorated with art work by local artists and bustling with customers. Judith approached the counter as her eyes scanned the crowd, searching out her friends. Lex was already standing in the back, waving to get her attention, indicating the dark booth that they were occupying. She had just waved back to indicate that she knew where they were when a tall brunette barista with glasses asked her what she would like. Jude ordered a vanilla cappuccino and paid for her drink before winding her way through the cluster of buzzing coffee-drinkers toward the back of the establishment.  
"Sup, Chicka?" Connor greeted from behind his cup.  
Judith slid into the booth beside him, seeing as Lorelie and Lex already occupied the other side, as they usually did with most things.  
"Hey, hope you don't mind, I invited someone else." Judith told the group as she wedged her jacket between her and Connor.  
Lorelie took a long drink from what looked like a very sweet frappuccino before saying, "That's cool, who?"  
"Sophia Peletier. She's a freshman."  
"Uuhhhm, nah, don't think I know her." Lorelie wracked her brain with seemingless inconclusive results.  
"I don't think any of you have any classes together." Judith offered to confirm that their being unacquainted wasn't strange in the least.  
Idle chatter ensured as the four waited for Sophia, thankful for the steam rising from their cups to warm their trembling hands, except Lorelie who complained about the freezing feeling of her iced coffee.  
She hadn't noticed when her friend had entered the shop until she was standing in front of their table, steaming cup in hand. Judith scootched over as far as she could to offer Sophia a seat, her thighs now snuggly pushed up against her friends on both side.  
Lorelie leaned over the table, inspecting their new guest, "Oh I've seen you before, I think we have science together."

Their conversations persisted into animated story-telling and laughter as the five dwindled away the time. Sophia found it easy to find common ground in dark humor with the group and before long they were teasing one another as if they had known each other for ever. It didn't take long for the sun to set, making the dim light shine brighter in a pocket of warmth of the little shop. As the hours passed, the crowd thinned out, making it seem later than it actually was. It wasn't until the shopkeeper announced closing-time that Judith realized that not once had she worried about her problems, be it school or home and she couldn't help the smile that snuck its way onto her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow-y its been awhile. Sorry about the wait on this one! One month ago I moved into my first apartment with my roommates and started a new job downtown. Plus we have been soaking up the assets in our free time, full gym, hot tub, ect, plus there is a lot to do in LA (and since i've already lived here, I'm playing tour guide for my ex-Oklahoma resident roomies).   
> But any who, this was a fun chapter, I wrote a lot of this a few weeks ago and didn't include the coffee shop scene, just skipped ahead but I felt like that was pushing it too much. I already have ch.5 started, so hopefully i can make up for my long bout of silence!   
> Oh! I almost forgot, last night I also started a new Tumblr page called alwaysdixongrimes (URL: http://alwaysdixongrimes.tumblr.com/ ) feel free to follow that page for strictly Rickly content such as: RPs, links to fanfics, fan art, gifs, and more!

**Author's Note:**

> hey, it's been a long time since I have posted anything in general but I have been having a lot of plot bunnies and decided to reboot my writing. This is a test run chapter, if this one plays out well, I will happily continue writing for this prompt. Please review and let me know what you think. I rated this M just in case, better safe than sorry. I will post warnings at the beginning of each chapter for sexual or violent content.


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